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M.F.A. - Media Arts

Logo reading ‘MFA Media Arts’ in distressed blue and white text

Challenge the Boundaries of Media 

Created for artists who want to push form and build a sustained practice, the three-year MFA in Media Arts is a practice-led studio. It blends experiments and craft, interdisciplinary making, research-driven inquiry, and critical study.  Seminars and workshops ground you in contemporary issues, techniques, histories, and ethics. You will learn to test ideas and revise with intent. Individual studios and 24/7 access to production and post facilities support projects in a wide range of practices including time-based interactive installation, projected materials, spatialized sound, net art and art games, digital and analog animation, sound art, analog technologies and materials, glitch art, video synthesis, and performance. 

Public showings, on campus and around the region, build the habit of presenting and refining work. The rich cultural and geographic history of Southern Illinois offers time and space to draw from. Teaching and research opportunities sharpen both craft and pedagogy. With the completion of your terminal degree, you will leave with a coherent body of work and a creative practice that reflects your unique artistic voice. 

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M.F.A Student Gallery

Andy Beyke Installation Three people view stills from SIU MFA graduate Leah Sutton's exhibit Performers take the stage during MFA graduate Jordan Faye Bardgett's exhibit A couple of students view MFA student Shruti Rao's exhibit A hiker looks at a mountainside with text This is where the real story begins Behind the scenes camera workers on MFA student Diazha Berry's film Behind the scenes from MFA student Diazha Berry's thesis film shoot MFA student Drew McGinniss in his short film MFA graduate Leah Sutton's exhibition MFA student Diazha Berry's interactive installation 2-11 Students peruse through SIU MFA student Saba Raissan's performance SIU students and faculty look at artwork at an exhibition our MFA students put on, Dec. 06, 2021. (Photo/Leah Sutton)

Degree Details

As a student in our program, you’ll have access to a comprehensive equipment inventory available 24/7, including individual studio spaces, access to soundstages, mixing and edit suites and a variety of production studios, exhibition and performance spaces. 

Compass IconThe Graduate Catalog has the program requirements and preferred electives. 

View the M.F.A. student handbook.

The suggested curriculum outline shows what courses you should take each semester.

View all graduate courses.

Inspired Opportunities: Funding to Focus 

As an MFA student, you are funded, and you pay only the course fees associated with the classes you are enrolled in. We offer competitive nine-month stipends and provide you with unique opportunities to work closely with the faculty as a teaching assistant in many of the creative production classes offered at the undergraduate level within the School of Media Arts.

MFA students are also paired with members of the MFA faculty as research assistants on creative projects for semester-long assignments. This focused one-on-one work helps provide MFA students with solid technical skills and a comprehensive understanding of what it means to be a media artist in today’s culture.

Program Admission

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. For full funding consideration, apply by February 15, 2026.

All applicants must meet the Graduate School admission requirements at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Program-specific requirements include:

  • Application for Admission to Graduate Study
  • Certified transcripts from all postsecondary institutions
  • Three recommendation letters evaluating your potential for graduate study
  • Résumé outlining education and professional experience
  • Personal statement describing your goals, interests, and reasons for pursuing the program
  • Example(s) of work—such as a portfolio, digital art, film, video, sound work, multimedia, web art, or similar evidence of artistic potential. Clearly identify your role(s) in each project submitted.
  • An interview with program faculty is strongly recommended, especially for applicants with limited coursework in the field

Admission and continued enrollment are at the discretion of the College of Arts and Media and the Graduate School. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (last two years of undergraduate study). Students who need additional preparation may be required to take undergraduate courses; these do not count toward the M.F.A.

International Students

International applicants whose first language is not English—or those with fewer than 100 graded semester hours at a U.S. institution—must submit proof of English proficiency: TOEFL 550 (paper) / 80 (internet) or IELTS 6.5.

Careers

The program prepares students for careers in the contemporary media arts as a media artist, artist, video or filmmaker, designer, theorist, educator, and other future professions which will require creativity and artistic acumen.

Spaces to Grow: MFA Studios and Beyond  

You are provided an individual studio space with adjacent access to a large, shared gallery space that is also used for performances, installations, and classes, all with 24/7 building access.  You also have shared access to: 

  • MFA Media Suite – A custom media-editing environment that is both a control room and a site for small group post sessions. Adobe Creative Cloud, Pro Tools, Logic, Final Cut Pro, Universal Audio interface, and Genelec monitoring. 
  • Film and Video Equipment Checkout – A comprehensive equipment check-out facility for the School of Media Arts and the Media Arts MFA that features an impressive inventory of production tools including Black Magic 4K cameras; Canon and Nikon DSLRs; location sound equipment by Sound Devices, Sennheiser, Tascam, and Zoom; and a creative selection of lighting and grip equipment for use in student creative projects.  
  • Tracking and Mixing Studio Suite – A combined recording studio and mixing studio featuring a world-class microphone collection, Foley studio, Pro Tools with Waves, comprehensive UA bundle, iZotope, Genelec and Dynaudio monitoring.  
  • Animation and Gaming Studio – A space containing 13 high-end PCs equipped with Blender, Maya, Unity3D, Unreal Engine, Adobe Creative Cloud, and more. Adjacent to this space is the Special Projects Studio containing four additional PCs and ample room to meet and collaborate. 
  • Emerging Media Studio – Isadora projection mapping, six Prusa 3D printers, programming environment for Raspberry Pi and Arduino computers, 10-color Epson printer.
  • The Northlight Studio- A 30x80-ft. open-span, flexible studio with generous amounts of daylight that is used for classes, workshops, and MFA exhibitions, performances, and installations.  
  • Anechoic Chamber – A 15x30-ft. anechoic chamber that is one of the quietest rooms in the Midwest. While this laboratory environment provides unique opportunities for understanding and experiencing the human sense of hearing, it is also used as an experimental recording studio and as a site for remote collaboration and research. MFA students are also able to use the chamber for exhibitions, performances, and installations.   
  • Gallery 101- 30x30-ft. contemporary, open-span gallery and classroom space that is also available for MFA students to use for their exhibitions, performances, and installations.
Cody Tracy Cyanotope

Contact Information

Jay Needham
Director of Graduate Studies, M.F.A.
Professor of Audio Arts

Communications Building 1050D
1100 Lincoln Drive
Carbondale, IL 62901
Email: jayn@siu.edu

College of Arts and Media | 618-453-4308 |